Cigar-vending machine.



No. 758,588. PATENTED APR. 26,1904. T. ERIOKSON & J.'J. FAGAN. CIGAR VENDING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED IEB. 3. 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

amid/rt 7720144 I 1 I I I4 PATBNTED'APR.26,1904. T. ERIGKSON & J. J. FAGAN.

, CIGAR VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION tum) rm. s. 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 flHE-BTS-SHEET 2. I

No. 758,588. I Patented. April '26, 1904. 4 U ITED STATES PATENT ()rFIcE.-'

THEODORE ERIQKSON AND JOHN J. FAGAN, OF CHARLEVOIX, MICHIGAN. CIGAR-VENDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,588, dated April 26, 1904:.

' Application filed February 8,1903. Serial No. 141,686. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THEODORE ERICKSON and J OHN J. FAGAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Charlevoix, in the county 5 of Gharlevoix and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cigar-Vending Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention pertains to machines for 1 vending merchandise, and especially to those so-called coin-controlled machines of the class mentioned which are specifically adapted to vend either cigars or articles which are relatively of the general shape of cigars. As

it is obvious that inasmuch as a cigar comprises slmply a certain amount ofa certain kind of material formed into a given shape, therefore mechanism which will vend the latter will also vend similarly-formed packages of other material. Our invention may also be used to vend articles having generally either a prismatic or a cylindrical form.

An object of our invention is to provide a machine of the class specified which shall comprise mechanism of simple, durable, and comparatively inexpensive construction and which shall be thoroughly reliable in operation.

An important object of our invention, however, is to provide for the vending of cigars or similarly-fragile goods a mechanism which shall deliver the goods to the purchaser in the same condition in which they have been placed in the machine. Attempts have been made heretofore to vend cigars by machinery; but

3 5 it has frequently occurred that the cigars have been delivered in an unsatisfactory condition,

caused by breakage thereof efiected by the delivering mechanism. The mechanism em-.

bodying our invention, however, simply oper- 4 ates to release the cigars and permit them to descend by gravity to the point of delivery,

and as the cigars are not grasped nor otherwise rigidly engaged by the mechanism their structural condition remains unchanged while they are passing through the machine.

In the drawings,Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine, the front parts of the case being removed. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the mechanism. Figs. 3 and 4, respectively, are

5 'a rear elevation and a bottom plan view of the mechanism and of the bottom and sides of the case. Figs. 5 and 6, respectively, are front and end elevations of a complete machine on a reduced scale, a part of the case being broken away. Figs/7 and 8 are detail views,and Fig. 9 is a top plan view, of a carriage and a goods-holder.

Corresponding parts in all the figures are denoted by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, A in a general 6 way designates a case, which comprises a bottom f, a lower front member I), and an upper front member 0, atop d, and sides 6 e,the mechanism being attached to the interior walls of said case. In the.upper front member 0 is 5 formed a slot 0, registering Witha coin-chute 1, which communicates With a horizontal cointube 2, the latter at a point to one side of the chute 1 communicating with a coin-delivery chute 3, which discharges into the-lower inte- 7 rior part of the case A. The chutes 1 and 3 and the connecting-passage 2 are in the same vertical plane longitudinally of the machine, their side walls consisting of two plates 5 5. In the lower front wall I) of the casing is a slot 6, through which projects a finger-piece 4:,which is attached to a slide 6, which is reciprocatably mounted in an extension 2 of the passage 2.

'A helical spring l is attached at one end to a fixed stud 49 and at the other end to the finger-piece 4: and retracts the slide 6 toward the right of the machine after'it has been advanced by hand.

The slide 6 has an extension of reduced size, herein termed a lip 6', at the end opposite 5 the finger-piece 4. Between the plates 5 5 is pivotally mounted a star-wheel 7, the plates 7 whereof are adapted to be engaged by a coin of the particular denomination required to coact with the operative mechanism of the machine when advanced, by the extension of the slide 6. On the outside of the plate 5 a resilient plate 8, formed of two arms which are joined at right angles, is secured to the plate 5 by a rivet 8, which passes through said angle-plate near the extremity of an arm 8 thereof and also through the plate 5. A guide-stud 9, riveted to the angle-plate 8 and near the angle thereof, engages loosely in a perforation in the plate 5, and thus prevents 0 oscillation of the angular plate on the rivet 8, while permitting said plate to be sprung outwardly from the plate 5. A cam-stud 10, riveted to the angle-plate 8, passes through a perforation in the plate 5 and has its inner end beveled and in the path of the star-wheel arms 7 The depending arm 8 of the angleplate 8 is bent at its lower end to normally extend under the endof the delivery-chute 3, said end being inclined so that it may be displaced by a coin when suffieient force is applied thereto, but normally preventing escape of the coin. The plate 5 is attached to the frame of the machine by brackets la it.

The star-wheel 7 is mounted upon and rotates a shaft 11, which is journaled at one end in the plate 5 and at the other end in the frame B of the machine. Disks 12, of which there may be any number, are mounted upon and rotate with the shaft 11, there being a notch cut in each at a different point, so that as said notches come opposite the ends 13 of bell-crank levers 13, which are pivoted on a bar 9, carried by the frame B, they are permitted to drop. The other arms 13 normally are in horizontal position, but when an end 13 of a lever 13 enters a recess in a disk 12 the arm 13 of the same lever drops downwardly, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6.

The frame B comprises the brackets it it, brackets parallel girders is is, supported thereon, and plates on m, lying between and secured to the girders 7s. The plates m m are separated to make room between them for the arms 13", which in their normal or upper positions form, practically, a continuation of the surface of the plate m. A carriage 14 is slidably mounted on the ways is and is provided at the side thereof nearer to the plate 5 with a rack 14, formed of a number of teeth 14", which are designed to be successively engaged by a finger 15, carried by and revolving with the shaft 11, in alinement with the teeth 14. A spring-detent 16, fixed at one end to the coin-chute 1, has a V-shaped portion 16, adapted to be engaged between teeth 14.

The carriage 14 may be integrally made of sheet metal, and has in a general way a framelike form provided with upwardly-projecting flanges or coamings 14, which embraces a stock-box or holder 17, which is composed of cross-bars forming a cellular structure each compartment 18 of which is adapted to contain a single cigar or other article which is to be vended. The holder 17 is here shown as provided with one more longitudinal rows of compartments than there are levers 13, each row being alined with one of said levers except the last row on one side, which is alined with the stationary finger m", extending from the plate m and serving as a substitute for one lever. The articles in this last row of compartments are released by the forward movement of the holder 14.

The longitudinal movement of the holder 17 serves to bring in succession each transverse row of compartments 18 in line with the outer ends of the horizontal arms 13. A goods-delivery chute m preferably made of sheet metal, may be adapted to conduct the cigar or other article to a delivery-aperture 0 in the wall of the case, to which may be attached a delivery-bracket which may be provided outside the case to receive goods vended by the machine. A peep-hole (1 may also be formed opposite the bent portion of the arm 8 of the machine, which hole may be closed with a disk of glass 9.

The operation and advantages of our invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

In preparing the machine to vend goods such, for instance, as cigars-they should be separately placed endwise, either wrapped in a covering or uncovered, in the several compartments 18 in the holder 17, the latter being at the time positioned within the coamings 14 of the carriage 14, which is at its extreme position toward the left of the machine, as the latter is shown in Figs. 1 and 5. A coin of proper denomination being dropped in the slot 0 falls into the coin-chute 1 and drops to the passage 2. The finger-piece 4 being moved toward the left of the machine, as shown in Fig. 1, carried with it the slide 6, the lip 6 of the latter pushing the coin into engagement with an arm 7 of the star-wheel 7 and causes the coin to turn said wheel one tooth-space, and with it the shaft 11 and disks 12 12 and finger 15. The recess in that one of the disks 12 which, as shown, is nearest the rear end of the shaft 11 is thus brought into position to admit the depending end 13 of the corresponding angle-lever 13, thus permitting the horizontal arm 13 of said lever to drop, thus removing the bottom of the particular compartment 18 which at the time may lie immediately above the dropped arm 13", thereby discharging .the cigar or other article therein upon the deliverychute a, which will guide the same through the delivery-aperture 0 and to the del i very-bracket p. Should there be two or more coins in the coin-chute 1 at one time, the lower one only will be advanced, as before mentioned, by the lip 6, and the larger part or body of the slide 6 will serve to retain the remaining coin or coins within the coin-chute 1 until the slide 6 be returned, with the finger-piece 4, to their normal positions by means of the spring 4. An arm or tooth 7 of the wheel 7 meanwhile engages the beveled end of the stud 10 and by means thereof presses outwardly the depending arm 8 of the plate 8, the lower bent portion of said arm being thereby moved suificiently to permit one coin to be urged out of said chute by reason of the pressure exerted by the superimposed coin, which is at the time coacting with the mechanism, and immediately thereafter the arm 8 springs back to its normal position, thus preventing the next succeeding coi-n from dropping out of the second chute 3. By means of the bent and angularlyformed end of the arm 8, as will readily be seen, the second chute 3 may thus be kept full of coins, and if the parts of the machine be all properly proportioned a further operation of the machine will be rendered impossible by a coin unless the latter be'of the proper denomination to provide the necessary diametral dimensions for the purpose mentioned. It will be noted that the guide-stud 9 effectually prevents the depression of the arm 8 by coins which are not adapted to coact with the mechanism. Further intermittingpartial rotations of the star-wheel permit deliveries from the several compartments 18, which lie in one transverse row of'the holder 17 the finger 15 being so timed relative to the disks 12 that immediately upon the delivery of the article contained in the last compartment 18 (or, as shown, the one lying nearest the front of the machine) of any transverse row said finger en' gages a tooth 14: of the rack 14 and by means thereof advances the carriage 14: a proper distance to position the next succeeding transverse row of compartments 18 over the arms 18, where it will be retained by means of the resilient detent 16. The before-described operation of the machine may be repeated until the holder 17 be entirely emptied of its contents. Inspection of the interior of the case may be made by means of the peep-hole q and also, if required, by means of a glazed slot 4", which may be formed in the member 0 of the case A.

It may be readily seen that cigars or other frangible goods vended by means of our invention will be delivered to the purchasers in a form as perfect as that which they had when placed in the machine and that the mechanism by which this result is efiected is extremely simple and reliable.

We do not desire to be understood as limiting ourselves to the details of construction and arrangement as herein described and illustrated, as it is manifest that variations and modifications may be made in the features of construction and arrangement in the adaptation of the device to various conditions of use without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention and improvements. We therefore reserve the right to all such variation and modification as properly fall within the scope of our invention and the terms of the following claims. 7 7

Having thus described our invention, we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A vending-machine comprising a movable cellular holder adapted to receive a single article in each compartment thereof, a stationary plate beneath said holder, a series of drops each alining with one row of cells, a shaft, means for giving said shaft a step-bystep rotative movement, and a series of notched disks on said shaft normally holding said drops up and by their rotation successively releasing said drops.

2. A vending-machine comprising. a movable cellular holder adapted to receive a single article in each compartment thereof, a stationary plate beneath said holder, a series of drops each alining with one row of cells, a shaft, means for giving said shaft a step-bystep rotative movement, and a series of notched disks on said shaft normally holding said drops up and by their rotation successively releasing said drops, and means for moving said rack forward one space at each complete rotation of said shaft.

8. A vending-machine comprising a mov able cellular-holder adapted to receive a single article in each compartment thereof, a stationary plate beneath said holder, a series of drops each alining with one row of cells, a shaft, means for giving said shaft va'step-bystep rotative movement, and a series of notched disks on' said shaft normally holding said drops up and by their rotation successively releasing said drops, a toothed rack on said holder, and a finger engaging the teeth ofthe rack to advance it one space at each revolution of the shaft.

4:. Ina vending-machine, the combination with a movable cellular holder, a stationary plate adapted to support the contents of said cells, a series of drops each acting as a continuation of said plate fora particular row of cells, means for successively releasing said drops, and means for intermittently advancing said holder.

5. In a vending-machine, the combination with a movable cellular bottomless holder, a separate stationary support for the articles therein, and individual drops for the longitudinal rows of compartments in said holder, of means for releasing said drops singly and successively and means for intermittently advancing the holder by single compartment spaces after the delivery of all the articles in a transverse row of compartments.

6. A holder for vending-machines, comprising a frame having cells formed by cross-bars,

and a rack attached to said frame.

7. A holder for vending-machines comprising a frame having a rack attached thereto and a movable structure adapted to fit in said frame, having cells formed by cross-bars.

8. The combination with a holder for vending-machines, comprising a frame having a rack attached and a removable cellular structure adapted to fit in said frame, of means for singly delivering the contents of the compartments in a transverse row, and means for then advancing the holder one space.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names in the presence of the subscribing witnesses.

THEODORE ERICKSON.

JOHN J. FAGAN.

Witnesses:

VERA E. WAGNER, FRANK J. Tom). 

